I was pretty much on-board already, but I think this was the episode that closed the deal for me with Odd Taxi.  A couple of realizations hit me watching this episode – first, that this show is indeed kind of brilliant and not just weird.  And second, it’s actually not as weird as you think it is.  Sure everyone is an animal (at least in the eyes of the protagonist) and it occasionally ventures into surrealist territory.  But it’s actually plot-driven, has very believable characters, and is generally engaged in much more conventional storytelling that it pretends to be.

I think what really endears this series to me, unsurprisingly, is that I’ve come to really feel something for the characters.  Odokawa is actually a decent, intelligent, and quite principled man – he just happens to have a surly demeanor and a lot of psychological baggage.  Kakihana is a likeable goof, a rather pathetic figure but someone you hope against hope winds up happy.  Shirakawa-san is someone we can’t assume is on the level, but we can say she’s a delightful person to be around.  Her conversation in the park with Odokawa – complete with Capoeira set to Bollywood music – was both the episodes best and most surrealistic scene.

It’s probably pretty safe to assume Odokawa never had the runaway girl in his apartment at this point (I’m betting on the cat).  But that storyline continues to tie everything in Odd Taxi together.  There’s a hilarious scene in the sento where Kakihara overhears the local Yakuza boss talking about the case, and assumes he’s talking to him.  From that overheard conversation we know that the girl is the daughter of  Don-chan, apparently one of the capo’s friends.  He sics his dog Dobu on Odokawa, which is where we got last week’s cliffhanger.

This taxicab conversation is another winner, and it’s no coincidence – conversation is everything in Odd Taxi, and it’s very good at them.  Clearly these two are acquainted – I guess a cabbie would know the local hoods – but still, Odokawa is cool as a cucumber here in a very dangerous situation.  He manages to turn on his “SOS” sign and keeps Dobu talking until he spots a cop car, but unfortunately for him it turns out to be the Daimon brothers, the older of whom is completely corrupt (they also apparently have a bad history with taxis).  What Dobu wants doesn’t seem all that difficult to deliver, but Odokawa refuses – I think genuinely on principle.  It’s not until Dobu threatens to drag Shirakawa into this that Odokawa finally caves.

As for Kakihara, he’s infatuated with Shiho, the young girl who swiped right on him.  I don’t know why it never occurred to me until now that Shiho is probably the missing girl, but she almost certainly is, which means Kakihara is about to be dragged into this mess.  Odokawa doesn’t know that of course, but he’s still trying to be a good friend and help Kakihara understand that he’s probably being set up.  The way these men talk about their own undesirability is pretty harsh, but let’s face it – it’s not far off from the truth.  Although Kakihara’s massive lies in his profile certainly help explain Shiho’s interest.

In terms of holding together as a story, this was definitely the most compelling episode so far, despite (or perhaps because of) being less madcap than the first two.  While the missing girl storyline is very real and dangerous (Goriki may be caught up in it now) I think the real driver of Odd Taxi is the struggle to live a meaningful life when you can feel your dreams slipping away along with your youth.  Kakihara could do with a dose of realism, but Odokawa is almost certainly too harsh on himself – still carrying the scars of abandonment, no doubt.  If he could ever learn to cut himself a break, he might find that life is still bursting with possibilities for him.  But that’s a damn big if…